Three-time Olympian Vinesh Phogat shared a heart-breaking statement after her setback in Paris 2024. The statement comes after she was denied a silver medal at the Paris 2024 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

In the three-page-long statement, she credited her coaches, support staff, and all the members of the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), stating that she might have continued representing the country till 2032 in different circumstances.

“….To my team, my fellow Indians and my family, it feels like the goal that we were working towards and what we had planned to achieve is unfinished, that something might always remain missing, and that things might never be the same again. Maybe under different circumstances, I could see myself playing till 2032, because the fight in me and wrestling in me will always be there…”

For the unversed, the two-time World Championships bronze medallist was disqualified ahead of the final, for failing to meet her weight by a little over 100 gms. The premier Indian wrestler and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had appealed to the CAS for a joint silver medal alongside Cuba’s Yusneylis Guzman in the 50kg weight category.

Phogat also made a special remark about Indian contingent’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, who was hurled abused on social media, along with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President P.T Usha after she failed to make the cut.

“Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala. This is not a new name in Indian sports. For me, and I think for many other Indian athletes, he is not just a doctor but an angel in disguise sent by god. When I had stopped believing in myself after facing injuries, it was his belief, work and faith in me that got me back on my feet again,” Phogat said.

Phogat will arrive in India after an official announcement from the highest sports court on August 17. On her arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, there will be a road show from the national capital to her hometown in Haryana’s Balali.